Police, community and calendar briefs for March 2, 2013

Published: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 10:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 6:10 p.m.

The Florida Department of Health in Marion County said Friday it investigated seven reports of raccoon bites in February, after averaging less than two per month since January 2012.

Raccoons are carriers of rabies, a deadly viral disease that attacks the nerves and brain tissue of warm-blooded animals, including humans, according to the department. None of the animals tested positive for rabies, but the agency is concerned about the increase in bites.

In Florida, raccoons, bats, foxes and unvaccinated cats are most frequently diagnosed with rabies, but animals at high risk for rabies include skunks, otters, coyotes, bobcats and stray or unvaccinated dogs and ferrets.

The department recommends:

Call an animal control agency to remove stray animals.

Do not handle, feed or attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.

Never adopt wild animals or bring them into a home.

Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.

If a human is bitten by an animal, call the health department at 622-7744.

If a pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance and call Marion County Animal Services at 671-8727.

The fee is $12 for members and $14 for nonmembers. Call the listed number to register. For additional times and locations, visit www.aarp.org/drive.

County schools’ parent surveys are now online

Marion County Public Schools has made it latest parent survey available on the district website at www.marion.k12.fl.us. Users can view the survey in English or Spanish.

Parents without computer access can complete a survey at their child’s school or the Title I Office, 306 NW Seventh Ave., Ocala.

All surveys must be completed by April 12.

Clay Electric approves capital credits refund

Clay Electric Cooperative’s board of trustees recently approved a $4.5 million capital credits refund to entitled members of the co-op who received service between 1987 and 2011.

Current members entitled to a refund will receive a credit on March bills, determined by amount of electricity used and length of service. Members entitled to a refund but no longer receiving service will be mailed a check in late March.

Donations may be dropped of at Devereux, 215 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Ocala, from 1 to 6 p.m. March 15 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 16.

Pick up service also is available.

For more information, call 732-3300.

STATE

Jury still can’t reach verdict in terror trial

MIAMI — Jurors will return for a fifth day in Miami federal court to deliberate the fate of a Muslim cleric accused of supporting the Pakistani Taliban.

The 12-person panel quit Friday evening without reaching a verdict in the case of 77-year-old Hafiz Khan. They now must return Monday to continue their deliberations.

The jury already sat through a two-month trial on U.S. charges that Khan provided about $50,000 to the Pakistani Taliban. Khan testified the money was for needy people, family members and a religious school he owns in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.

If convicted, Khan faces maximum sentences of 15 years on each of four terror support-related charges.

— The Associated Press

One person found dead after mobile home fire

TAMPA — Authorities say one person is dead after fire destroyed a mobile home in Tampa.

The fire happened early Friday at the Tropicana Mobile Home Park. The Tampa Tribune reports a neighbor called 911 to report smoke coming out of a mobile home.

Police say the home was fully engulfed when they arrived. One person was found dead.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

— The Associated Press

FHP: 2 teens killed in crash with drunk driver

ST. CLOUD — Authorities say two teens are dead after crashing into a suspected drunken driver in Central Florida.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that 47-year-old Randall Kerley was driving a pickup truck in Osceola County Thursday night when he turned left at an intersection in front of an oncoming car. The car hit the right side of Kerley’s truck and caught fire as it hit an SUV that was stopped at the intersection.

The car’s driver, 18-year-old Rachel Price, and her passenger, 19-year-old Jamaree Cook, were killed in the blaze.

Troopers report that Kerley showed signs of impairment after the crash.

— The Associated Press

CALENDAR

TODAY

SILVER RIVER KNAP-IN: Knap-in and Stone Age Art Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Silver River State Park, 1425 NE 58th Ave., Ocala. $5 per person. (236-7148)

ARE YOU SMARTER: “Are you Smarter Than A ??????” begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, at the MTI auditorium, 1614 E. Fort King St., Ocala. Free and every child that attends will receive a new book. (861 3009)